You want to see locally owned restaurants thrive? Put your money where your mouth is. The folks at Local First Arizona would be happy to help. Once again, they’ve organized dozens of local businesses for the annual Independents Week — going on now through July 5. Visit the website, and you…
This is a slightly bizarre but delicious summer soup made of pureed watermelon and tomato. The soup is served cold and requires no cooking, so it’d make vegetarians, vegans and even the raw food crowd happy. The recipe comes from Epicurious by way of Self Magazine. Self says the soup…
Move over, Napa. Arizona’s young wine industry is currently undergoing a growth-spurt akin to a 12 year-old basketball player. For proof, see Michele Laudig’s cover story from last year, all about former Tool frontman and owner of Stronghold Vineyards in the Verde Valley. More evidence was available this past Saturday…
Locally-owned Jolta Java’s beverage menu reads like a wish list for sugar freaks: caramel espresso blends, fruity tropical teas, Italian sodas, smoothies, and whipped cream on pretty much anything you want. We decided to combine our quest for caffeine with a massive sugar rush by ordering Jolta Java’s Mexican Joltachino…
Hit print on this one, people. Or at least cut and paste. Here’s your guide to good happy hour deals across the Valley, with food and drink from around the world, at all levels of sophistication. Happy Monday. 1.Rosie McCaffrey’s 906 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix 602-241-1916 Good Irish pubs are…
This week we checked out the beers on tap at Santan Brewing in Downtown Chandler. Yup! We ventured far into the depths of Chandler to bring you this week’s update. At last weekend’s Craft Brewing Festival we ran into some Santan Brewers keen on their Strawberry Wit. To see what…
Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let’s have one last look at the blog posts from this week: Caffiend: Cartel Coffee Lab’s Iced Toddy Open Casting in…
It turns out you can’t please everyone. I think we can agree one a few things, thought. For example: I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream. We also scream and shout and salivate at the thought of great beer. What if I told you that I combined…
“It’s not just about vodka and Red Bull” any more, according to Dave Johnson, sommelier at Sol y Sombra. The emergent cocktail culture that’s dominating the bar scene today, he says, goes back beyond Prohibition, to the Gilded and Edwardian Ages (the “flowering zenith” of the Cocktail Age, as he…
Who needs Restaurant Week to get a taste of some of the swankiest spots in town? Instead of waiting until September, lots of local restaurants are promoting special prix fixe deals right now — a great way to sample the offerings at a sweet discount. J&G Steakhouse just announced its…
It’s a little overcast outside right now, but soon enough we’ll feel the full force of the Summer heat pouring down over The Valley. Our favorite way to cool down: a nice Thai tea. We’re guessing we’ll find a glass of the good stuff at the Thai eatery that happens…
The new iPhone is a lust-worthy gizmo to begin with, but if you’re into food and wine, there are even more reasons to chuck your Crackberry and give in to Apple: the apps. One of the newest ones, WinePhD, was created by two locals, sommelier Brian Pierce and his business partner/co-inventor Dave…
When I think back to some of my culinary shortcomings, Denny’s often comes to mind. I always used to order Moons Over My Hammy, which was an egg sandwich of extreme-calorie proportions. Keep in mind this was over a decade ago, when you could still order a cocktail at Denny’s…
Been hungry for Thai food lately? If so, call yourself a trendsetter. This is purely anecdotal, but it seems to me that there’s been a visible proliferation of Thai restaurants across the Valley in the past few years, even more so than sushi bars or Vietnamese pho joints. There are…
We eat. We tweet. New Times food critic Michele Laudig is working all the angles for you, Phoenix — including Twitter, where you can follow her cravings. She’s easy to find: @michelelaudig. We’ve been on Twitter for a while now, and in between the tweets about Iran and Mark Sanford’s…
In case you were wondering: Gin was the first flavored vodka; the word “sommelier” originally meant “keeper of pack animals;” and organic spirits will be the next big wave in designer drinks. Oh, and Grey Goose is not any better than any other vodka — it’s all marketing. That is…
There are plenty of bars to grab a beer at after catching a sports game in the West Valley. But what if you need a late-night nosh as well (and don’t want to be limited to stale peanuts)? In this week’s Meal Ticket dining newsletter, we’ll profile one neighborhood pub…
Four Seasons pastry chef Lance Whipple’s fondant-covered, seven-tiered chocolate praline hazelnut crunch cake — inspired by Rio de Janeiro — won “best in show” at yesterday’s Confectionary Creations and Table Top Decor Competition, hosted at the Arizona Grand Resort by the National Association of Catering Executives. What’s just as impressive…
Joe and Myrah Aiello just dropped a line to say that they’ve finally launched their “back door pizzeria,” a takeout-only pizza biz that they’re literally doing from the back of their Italian restaurant on Central Avenue. There are 16 different toppings available on New York-style and Sicilian pizzas — and…
After this weekend, it’s time to replace “party like a rockstar” with “drink like a chef.” Friday night is a bit of a blur for most (if not all) of the participants in a Chef’s Tour of central downtown Phoenix restaurants (yes, and bars) dreamed up by chef Christopher Gross…
Choosing the right horse requires a lot of luck and a certain willingness to watch your already mentally-spent earnings fail to materialize. That’s why I took a different gamble at Turf Paradise Race Track this weekend and thought I’d try my luck with a bunch of micro brew enthusiasts instead…
The Food Network has certainly found its fair share of TV fodder from Valley restaurants; will it find a future TV personality here, too? Maybe so — the popular reality series The Next Food Network Star is coming to town July 8 for an open casting for its 2010 season. “We…
